UBS Group AG Increases Holdings in East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC)

UBS Group AG grew its holdings in shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWBC – Get Rating) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 97,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,922 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned 0.07% of East West Bancorp worth $6,403,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EWBC. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in East West Bancorp by 1,681.8% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 392 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased its position in East West Bancorp by 80.1% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 580 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in East West Bancorp by 23.9% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 892 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in East West Bancorp by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,032 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in East West Bancorp by 57.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. 88.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Manuel Pham Alvarez bought 1,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $43.60 per share, with a total value of $54,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,445 shares in the company, valued at $193,802. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Irene H. Oh acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $49.51 per share, with a total value of $495,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 124,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,185,036.75. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Manuel Pham Alvarez acquired 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $43.60 per share, for a total transaction of $54,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 4,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $193,802. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 33,030 shares of company stock worth $1,471,642 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

East West Bancorp Stock Performance

EWBC opened at $49.94 on Friday. East West Bancorp, Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.86 and a twelve month high of $80.98. The stock has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a PE ratio of 5.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.39. The business’s 50 day moving average is $51.50 and its 200-day moving average is $63.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 20th. The financial services provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.12. East West Bancorp had a return on equity of 20.71% and a net margin of 40.38%. The company had revenue of $659.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $673.68 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.66 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that East West Bancorp, Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

East West Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 1st were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 28th. East West Bancorp’s payout ratio is 22.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on EWBC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on East West Bancorp from $90.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 6th. UBS Group started coverage on East West Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, March 15th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $63.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on East West Bancorp from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on East West Bancorp from $88.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price on East West Bancorp from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $71.13.

East West Bancorp Profile

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East West Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following business segments: Consumer and Business Banking, Commercial Banking, and Other. The Consumer and Business Banking segment provides financial service products and services to consumer and commercial customers through the company’s branch network in the U.S.